Do you remember the magic of summer camp?
Maybe it was gliding a canoe across a foggy lake at sunrise, whispering ghost stories with new friends after lights out, or finding the nerve to step onstage for the talent show. Summer camp has a way of unlocking courage, creativity, and joy, sometimes in ways you never expect.
That’s exactly what a creative partnership made possible this summer when COMPAS and the Minnesota Boychoir teamed up for the Boychoir’s annual boot camp for singers ages 6 to 12.
Unleashing Imagination: Not Your Everyday Camp
When camp Director Phil Radtke reached out to COMPAS, he explained that the camp was about way more than rehearsing music. He wanted kids to experience several art forms, like puppetry and beat-making. As he said, “Different things that, together, create more well-rounded performers.”
Phil is so right. Creativity doesn’t stay in one lane.
Working with three different COMPAS Teaching Artists, campers experienced what it felt like to be artists, inventors, and collaborators. They discovered talents they didn’t know existed. Many found the courage to share their ideas with a group for the first time. Others walked away with a deeper sense of confidence that reached beyond music into how they see themselves as learners and leaders.
Beatboxing & Puppets & Math (oh my!)
During sessions with beatboxer Terrell X, campers expanded their notion of how to make music with their own bodies. They learned foundational beatboxing techniques, experimented with rhythm and vocal percussion, improvised, and created and performed original pieces together.
Puppeteer Malia Araki Burkhart’s sessions offered the creative freedom to take an idea (yes, sometimes a crazy idea) and turn it into a three-dimensional puppet that could be animated through movement. With Malia’s help, campers explored character development and storytelling to bring their creations to life during an improvised performance.
With musician Soli Hughes, campers dove into the Science of Sound. Using hands-on activities and instruments, kids learned about the mechanics of sound, from frequency and waveforms to vibration, and connected art, science, and math in memorable ways. Campers found new excitement in music and discovered how science could deepen their creative work.
Lighting the Spark of Discovery
Hands-on, creative learning lit a spark the didn’t stop at the ‘classroom’ door. Campers carried their curiosity and excitement into free time. Some created raps over lunch, rehearsed puppet movements in the hallways, and shared their new skills with each other.
Those moments when kids choose to keep creating and proudly share what they’ve learned are the kinds of takeaways that last beyond the summer. They grow into confidence, curiosity, and joy that ripple through future performances, learning, and possibilities.
Expanding Who They Dare to Become
When young people discover hidden talents, learn to trust their own voice, and see new possibilities for themselves, they carry that spark into every area of their lives.
In the end, camp is just the spark. The true gift is the realization that creativity can transform who they are and expand who they dare to become.
Learn more about COMPAS, our roster of teaching artists, and how we can bring creativity to your environment here.
Read more stories about our work to put creativity in the hands of millions of Minnesotans here.
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